“Another ambush?”

  Riley glanced around at the sound of Caius’ voice and easily picked out the figure in heavy blue armor. “Yep. They were chasing one of the newbies. Oscar and I managed to save them this time.”

  Caius nodded, looking pleased. “That’s good. All this PKing is going to give the wrong impression about this game. I’m not surprised that half of the new players aren’t coming back.”

  “Well, we just have to do what we can,” Oscar said, fiddling with the string of his bow. It was starting to wear down, he noticed. He’d have to weave a new one today. “But if we can’t get rid of this plague of PKers, this might turn into a niche game.”

  It was a good point, one that had been on their minds for some weeks now. With the second wave of players coming in, several of the more experienced players of Silver Village had begun to teach them the ways of the game - at least the things they’d managed to pick up - but found that, unfortunately, some players had the opposite idea. After the battle of Silver Village, they’d found themselves with quite a few new neighbors, all whom had less than honorable intentions.

  “I’m telling you,” Oscar said, his face growing severe, “We should be initiating raids against them. They can’t handle an honest fight. They equip their worst gear, then go out and harass the new players. If we raid them, we could take them easily.”

  “I’m sure we could,” Riley agreed, but for one problem. He and Caius shared a look, and the older warrior spoke what was on both of their minds.

  “Azalea wouldn’t go for it.”

  Oscar scoffed, though he was careful to make sure he kept the noise quiet. Azalea was technically their guildmaster, even though Caius was more experienced in games like this. They’d agreed on nearly everything up until this point, so there hadn’t been any issues. Yet, when the current situation had developed and Oscar had first floated the idea of raiding the bases of the PKers, Azalea had flatly refused. Caius, ever the loyal friend and father figure, had abided by her decision, which meant that all of them would. It hadn’t occurred to any of them to go against her choice.

  Oscar was the first one to start to show some resentment, though Riley guessed it wasn’t directed at Azalea, more the sense of boredom with how little he was hunting and raiding, not to mention the trapped feeling of being surrounded by enemies and not being allowed to take them on in the way he’d prefer.

  “Cheer up Oscar,” Riley said with a grin, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “We can still fight if they attack first.”

  That had been Azalea’s stipulation, given nearly two weeks ago. She wasn’t blind to Oscar’s feelings, and so had told them that they could attack the players if it was in defense of others. So they’d taken to patrolling the area around Silver Village, interrupting ambushes and saving as many new players as they could. They were successful about eighty percent of the time.

  “They haven’t attacked us or Silver Village yet,” Azalea had said firmly. “So we don’t really have a reason to attack them.”

  Oscar had pointed out that, as these attackers were part of the force that had arrived from Dawnbreak City, they could already be considered enemies. But Azalea hadn’t agreed. She - and Caius for that matter - felt that the bad blood had been settled. They’d fought in Dawnbreak City, acting as the aggressors, and then again later when returning home. They’d won both fights, and the enemies had been forced to respawn all the way back in Dawnbreak City. So far, most of them hadn’t been heard from since.

  “If they were going to attack in force like they did before, they would have done it by now,” Caius said. “It’s been two months since that day. Clearly, they know they don’t stand a chance as they are.”

  “That’s certainly a comforting thought,” Riley said. “I reckon they’ll take their time to learn how to fight before coming back.”

  On that, they all agreed, even Azalea. The defenders of Silver Village had won the fight mainly due to the efforts of The Progenitors and Sisters of the Night. The two guilds had been the most successful so far in gathering experience, gear, and skills. To top it off, The Progenitors knew to the secret to true success in the game. It had actually spawned a common phrase now, used to identify other skilled players.

  If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. This game functioned nearly identically to the real world. When they’d first logged in, they realized that the weapons had actual weight to them, and took time to swing. There were no pre-programmed combos, no skills that could be activated with a press of a button or a thought. If you wanted to fight, you had to actually swing your weapon. Even the magic, as Azalea had discovered, required quite a bit of concentration and knowledge. The fighters of Dawnbreak City hadn’t known how to fight, making up for it with group attacks and surprise ambushes, much like the PKers around Silver Village did now.

  “So they don’t know how to fight properly,” Oscar said, lifting a hand as if to stop them from interrupting him again. “That doesn’t make a difference. The new players don’t know how to fight either. They’re either joining the PKers, increasing their numbers or being killed over and over again. Most of those are quitting. Do we really want this game to be a niche?”

  Silence fell between them. Riley was actually doing his best to keep an ear out for conversation all along the high street of the village. That was how he’d hear about potential attacks. But in the back of his mind, he found himself agreeing with Oscar, and he could tell that Caius did too. And yet…

  “We don’t do anything more until Azalea says so,” the old warrior said firmly. “I’ll keep training the new players, and you two can keep patrolling. In the meantime, we keep doing raids and dungeons. The new players get experience, we get materials to expand and protect the village, and we keep repelling the attackers when we can.”

  Oscar opened his mouth, looking annoyed. But before he could speak, Riley clapped a hand on his shoulder again. “Sounds good to us. Just tell Azalea what we’ve been talking about, okay? I know she’s busy with her real-life stuff, but we’d like to have her back in here more often if she can manage it.”

  Caius nodded. “I’ll do what I can. It’s much trickier to speak with her nowadays, of course. Hard to communicate with someone in the real world without a body of my own.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll do what you can,” Riley replied, grinning broadly again. “And that’ll be enough. Come on Oscar, let’s go see what Patsy’s cooking up today.”

  Oscar didn’t seem pleased with the unexpected end to the conversation, but he allowed himself to be led away after quickly saluting Caius. The two, monk and rogue, friends in both game and real life, made their way a short distance down the high street toward Patsy’s new restaurant in the village.

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  “She really should be getting back in soon,” Riley said. Azalea’s attendance in the game had been less common these past few weeks, as she had to deal with all sorts of unpleasant, tedious things in the real world. They didn’t know much, but they’d told her they were here for whatever she needed, be it physical or emotional support. She’d accepted the offer gladly, though lately she’d seemed more and more depressed when she returned to the game, only truly finding solace when she was around Caius.

  “She’ll be back to normal soon,” he said, speaking so quietly that not even Oscar could hear him. It was a kind of prayer, for the new friend that still felt as if they’d known each other for years. He felt a twinge of something like regret, or even of pain, but resolutely pushed the feelings down. Silver Village was counting on them, he thought. He just had to keep doing his work, and hope that Azalea came back to them soon.

  Aster felt alone.

  There was no escaping that fact, she thought. Without Dale in her life, it had become a very dull, tedious existence. No surly, sarcastic old man to brighten her day, to give her much of a purpose. The only remnants of his time in the world were of his family, who sat at the table around her, their eyes holding nothing but contempt, suspicion, and self-interest when they peered at her. She might not have known much about them, but she had a pretty good idea of what they were thinking just then.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” the old woman said. Dale’s mother. “You’re just the helper. What makes you think he’d leave you everything? I’m sure you cheated somehow.”

  Aster stared back at the old, spiteful woman, thinking of how she’d tossed her oldest son aside when he’d gotten into the accident that had paralyzed him. He’d nearly wilted away in the hole she’d given him, obviously with the expectation that he’d be someone else’s problem. He’d been saved from her whims only by his niece Rebecca, who sat on Aster’s left, her oldest friend and the one who’d given her the job that changed her life. She felt a rush of loathing in her chest, but suppressed it, more than a little surprised at the sudden feeling. She’d been numb mostly these past few weeks.

  Aster took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts - and her patience - before replying to what Dale’s mother had said. “I did not cheat, Dolores. Dale wrote his own will. I didn’t even know the contents of it until a few days after he’d passed.”

  “Bullshit!” The angry man to Dolores’ right spoke up now, leaning across the table, his voice loud. Richard, Dale’s younger, and only sibling. “You’d already tricked him into making you his power of attorney. Of course, you knew about his will! You had him write us out of it completely and give you everything!”

  Aster winced at the man’s volume, but refused to back away, or down. “I did not tell him to write you out. I didn’t tell him to do anything with his will. And, if you’ll notice, he did not leave me everything. Juli here got just as much as I did.”

  “Julianna!” the man said, glaring at his daughter. Aster thought for a moment about how different father and daughter had ended up being. Perhaps it was because of his religious views that he couldn’t see eye to eye with his gay daughter. Perhaps it was because the liberally inclined, open-minded young woman had grown tired of her hate-filled father and grandmother, and had sought out a new life. “Why aren’t you speaking? Would you really throw away your family like this?”

  “After all we did for you?” Her grandmother Dolores added. “You’re an ungrateful little-”

  “That’s quite enough, Ms. Lawson,” the attorney interrupted, throwing her a warning look. “The terms of the will are quite clear. You are not to insult each other, or you forfeit-”

  “What is there to forfeit?” The woman snapped, now talking over the attorney. She pointed a wrinkled, claw-tipped finger at Aster, yet again making her flinch. “This bitch wormed her way into our son’s life and turned him against us! Now my poor boy has given away everything he had to her and this freak of a-”

  The lawyer snapped his ledger closed, glancing up at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. Neither he, nor Aster, nor Julianna, had wanted to attend this meeting. But Dale’s will had been clear. One last chance for his family to get something from him, who had ended up so much more successful than anyone else in the Lawson family. Aster looked up too, glancing at the camera. “That should suffice, I think.”

  The attorney began to rise from his chair, and Aster and Juli quickly followed suit. Dolores and Richard seemed taken aback by the sudden change in proceedings, and also scrambled to their feet, the two other children of Richard’s looking on quietly, their expressions pale. They were both still too young to really understand what was going on, Aster thought. “Hold on! You haven’t given us a chance, yet!”

  There was a note of desperation to their voices now, but the attorney was not swayed. “You’ve had plenty chance,” he said crisply, pointing to the camera. “Dale said we were to give you a chance to prove that you’d changed your view of him and your manners, but it’s been just over an hour. You’re out of time. Good day, Mrs. Lawson, Mr. Lawson.”

  At that, he turned and strode from the room. Aster and Juli, not wanting to be left in a room alone with those horrible people - they couldn’t rule out the thought that Dolores might turn violent - followed. As the door to the conference room closed behind them, shutting off Dolores’ indignant screeching, the attorney turned to face Aster. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Ms. Franklin.”

  “Don’t apologize, Robert,” she said, feeling a certain weight lifting from her shoulders now that that particular meeting was behind her. “I’m sorry you had to put up with this for two months now.”

  “It’s my job,” he said with a weary sort of smile. “Dale helped me with my law school tuition, after all. It’s the least I could do to help settle his estate.”

  Dale and Robert had met several years ago, around the time that Aster met the old man and began working for him. They’d met in a game, and become quick friends. Upon hearing that he wanted to be a lawyer, and was nearly finished with his schooling but unable to keep up with the costs, Dale had paid for the rest - on the condition that when he graduated, he’d become Dale’s personal attorney. For the past five or six years now, Robert had done a great job of fending off Dale’s toxic family and managing much of his financial assets. Assets that were now split almost evenly between Aster and Juli. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that she was now a millionaire.

  “What are you going to do now?” Juli asked.

  “Well, I have to log in,” Aster said, leading the way back to the car. “I’ll probably be online all night tonight. I don’t have the mental energy to deal with anymore today.”

  Juli snickered. “No, I mean now that you’ve got the house. Obviously you’re going to play that game again. I can’t wait to get into it and talk to Uncle Dale again. I envy you.”

  Aster pursed her lips, not quite sure how to reply. She hadn’t realized that her ability to still communicate with Dale - who now only existed in the game as Caius - would be something that others could envy. “I’m sure you’ll be able to get in soon enough. They just let in the second wave, after all. You could be part of the third.”

  “Maybe,” Juli replied. “I like games, but I was never that into it like Uncle Dale was. But everything you’ve told me about Project Terra sounds awesome.”

  Aster nodded. They reached the car, and Juli began to turn away, heading to her own vehicle. But she stopped as Aster spoke up again. “Hey, Juli!”

  “Yeah?” The blonde woman turned, looking expectantly at her. Aster hesitated again, not quite sure what had made her want to ask the question. She wasn’t even sure if she really wanted to. “Uhh, do you have any plans for tonight?”

  Juli shrugged. “Not really, no. Sarah wanted to go get drinks, but I don’t have the energy.”

  “Do you… want to come over for dinner?” Aster didn’t want to face the empty house alone again, not with Dale so fresh in her memory. Juli had already refused to move in, even after her offer of no rent for life. But she smiled in understanding now, and nodded her head.

  “Of course. I’m always down for your cooking.”

  Aster tried to hide her sigh of relief, and thought she managed it pretty well. “Cool. See you in an hour or two, then.”

  “Of course. I’ll just go home and change.”

  Aster drove away from the law office feeling a tad bit better. Rather, she let the car drive itself, leaning back in her seat and peering out the window, watching the scenery of the winter-laden city pass by her. Already she was starting to grow impatient with the outside world. She couldn’t wait to get back into the game and to see Riley, Oscar, and Patsy. And most of all, to simply be near Caius again.

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